Sweet William

I'm back on macro today having given up with the incessantly bad weather and what better way to cheer yourself up than indulge in a communication with the lovely Sweet William.

Many legends purport to explain how Sweet William acquired its English common name, but none is verified. "Sweet William" is often said to honour the 18th century Prince William, Duke of Cumberland. As a result of the Duke's victory at the Battle of Culloden and his generally brutal treatment of the king's enemies, it is also claimed that the Scots sometimes call the flower "Stinking Billy". Though this makes a nice story, it is entirely untrue. The Scots sometimes refer to the noxious ragwort, not Dianthus Barbatus, as "Stinking Billy" in memory of the infamous Duke. Also, the English botanist John Gerard referred to Dianthus Barbatus as "Sweete Williams" in his garden catalogue of 1596, 150 years before Culloden. Phillips speculated that the flower was named after Gerard's contemporary, William Shakespeare. It is also said to be named after Saint William of York or after William the Conqueror. Another etymological derivation is that william is a corruption of the French oillet, meaning "little eye".

In the Victorian language of flowers, Sweet William symbolizes gallantry and on 29 April 2011, Catherine Middleton included Sweet William in her bouquet, a tribute to her bridegroom, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.